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The differences between senior support analysts and desktop support analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a senior support analyst and a desktop support analyst. Additionally, a senior support analyst has an average salary of $106,946, which is higher than the $48,674 average annual salary of a desktop support analyst.
The top three skills for a senior support analyst include database, java and linux. The most important skills for a desktop support analyst are desktop support, customer service, and computer system.
| Senior Support Analyst | Desktop Support Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $106,946 | $48,674 |
| Hourly rate | $51.42 | $23.40 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 108,193 | 99,621 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A senior support analyst works at an IT company to help users troubleshoot software and hardware related problems. As a senior analyst, they usually have some supervisory responsibilities, and they are in charge of helpdesk support or technical support team. The job responsibilities involve communicating with existing users and clients having problems using the company's software or hardware in the way for which it was intended. They assist the user in working or fixing the issue through a series of guided steps and help to design and modify these troubleshooting steps or guidelines as required.
A desktop support analyst's role is to develop strategies and systems to improve and coordinate desktop support efforts. Their responsibilities revolve around testing and modifying existing networks and systems, providing corrective measures on issues and concerns, performing regular inspections, troubleshooting, and maintaining inventories on software, hardware, and other applications. Furthermore, as a desktop support analyst, it is essential to respond to calls and correspondence from clients, all while adhering to the policies and regulations of the company.
Senior support analysts and desktop support analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Support Analyst | Desktop Support Analyst | |
| Average salary | $106,946 | $48,674 |
| Salary range | Between $79,000 And $143,000 | Between $36,000 And $65,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redmond, WA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New York |
| Best paying company | Mayo Clinic | Cambridge Associates |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior support analyst and a desktop support analyst in terms of educational background:
| Senior Support Analyst | Desktop Support Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior support analysts' and desktop support analysts' demographics:
| Senior Support Analyst | Desktop Support Analyst | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.8% Female, 30.2% | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 12.4% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 12.3% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |